Corey Williams Sr., a 47-year-old Black/African American man, was fatally shot inside a Milwaukee apartment on July 2, 2025, during a confrontation involving members of his own family. Milwaukee police were called to an apartment complex in the 1100 block of West Atkinson Avenue, near North 11th Street, at about 2:40 p.m. after a report of gunfire.
Officers entered the residence and found Williams in the living room suffering from numerous gunshot wounds, including injuries to his arm, shoulder, chest, abdomen and groin. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators recovered firearms from the residence, including a 9 mm handgun reported near Williams' body.
The shooting grew out of a troubled family situation that had already been building before that afternoon. According to the criminal complaint, Williams' son, Corey D. Williams Jr., had previously lived with his father but had been told to leave the apartment roughly two weeks earlier and had gone to stay with his sister. Williams Sr. was reportedly caring for several of his children at the apartment. On the day of the shooting, Williams Jr. went to the residence with his mother and brother so the family could pick up the other children. While they were there, an argument began between Williams Sr. and the children's mother. Williams Jr. told investigators that he stepped into the dispute and told his father to move so the family could leave.
Williams Jr. later gave police an account in which the confrontation quickly became physical. He said his father grabbed him by the collar and pushed or forced him around the apartment while telling him to show respect and be quiet. According to the son's statement, Williams Sr. was holding a pistol during the struggle and forced him onto a recliner before moving him toward a dining-room table. Williams Jr. said his mother and brother were trying to pull his father away from him. He told detectives that after being forced over the table, he saw another handgun, grabbed it and opened fire. He said he could not remember the precise number of shots but knew that he fired more than five times.
Other evidence left questions about exactly how the confrontation unfolded. Prosecutors said other family members present did not report seeing either Williams Sr. or his son holding a firearm during the dispute, and authorities initially said it was unclear whether Williams Sr. had actually been armed as the son claimed. Police nevertheless recovered two guns in connection with the scene, and later reporting based on the probable-cause affidavit stated that a 9 mm handgun was collected from the floor near Williams Sr.'s body. Williams Jr.'s grandfather told investigators that he had been asleep when the gunfire awakened him. After going outside, he encountered family members leaving the apartment and was told that Williams Jr. had shot his father. When the grandfather confronted Williams Jr., the younger man reportedly acknowledged that he had done the shooting.
Williams Jr. was questioned by detectives the following day and admitted firing the shots. He was arrested and initially charged with second-degree reckless homicide while using a dangerous weapon. At an early court appearance, his defense attorney indicated there was more history behind the confrontation and argued that the son had previously experienced abuse from his father. Prosecutors and the defense also acknowledged that Williams Jr. had no prior criminal history. His cash bond was set at $10,000, and the court ordered that he not possess weapons while the case was pending.
The prosecution ultimately ended with a negotiated resolution rather than a homicide trial. On February 12, 2026, Williams Jr. pleaded guilty in Milwaukee County Circuit Court to the reduced charge of homicide by negligent handling of a dangerous weapon or explosive. The original second-degree reckless homicide charge was amended as part of the resolution. Milwaukee County Circuit Judge David Swanson imposed a sentence consisting of five years of imprisonment followed by three years of extended supervision, but stayed that sentence and instead placed Williams Jr. on five years of probation. Conditions reported with the probation included a prohibition against possessing firearms and restrictions on alcohol and non-prescription drug use. As a result, Williams Jr. avoided immediate imprisonment for the shooting that killed his father, although the stayed prison sentence could expose him to incarceration if the terms of probation are violated.
